


I Love it When You Try to Save Me

by manycoloureddays



Series: Prompt Reposts [4]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, F/F, princesses get shit done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 07:39:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15068345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/manycoloureddays/pseuds/manycoloureddays
Summary: Padma flopped backwards onto her bed. ‘Why does it always have to be arranged marriages?’





	I Love it When You Try to Save Me

**Author's Note:**

> for broromini in response to her prompt: pansy/Padma+ happily ever after  
> title from 1950 by King Princess

Once upon a time twenty eight families came together to settle their differences so peace could reign across their kingdoms, or so the history books say. But history is rarely as simple as the stories that are written about it. War broke out when Padma and Parvati’s parents were newlyweds, all the more pernicious because no one believed it could happen. It tore families apart. It wiped some out entirely. **  
**

Ever since the end of the war the families had been hurriedly formalising alliances, trying to make sure that kind of destruction would never again reach their lands. It was a faint hope, but one Padma could understand the yearning for. What she could not understand was the need to formalise the alliances with marriages.

‘There are so many ways to forge alliances!’ She was pacing again, and judging from the looks on the Greengrass sisters’ faces, she had been doing it for a while. ‘Trade agreements.’

‘Land agreements,’ Astoria added, with the tone of someone who had learned something off by heart. It was possible Padma had gone through the options out loud more than once in the last few hours since their parents had announced the plan. They were in the Patil Summer Palace - mostly because during the war their grandparents had remained neutral - so Padma didn’t have to worry about pacing holes in someone else’s carpet.

‘Cross kingdom educational exchanges.’ Padma picked back up where she’d left off.

‘Relaxing the borders?’ Hannah suggested. ‘I’ve always wondered why we haven’t just tried hospitality. The old agreements that bound our families together in the first place were built on the idea of a shared hospitality. Why can’t we go back to that?’

‘Gods forbid!’ Parvati piped up from the corner where she was polishing her sword. ‘They never would. They like the power they’ve built up too much.’

‘A treaty then,’ Padma insisted. ‘A series of meetings that involve treaty talks and politics instead of wedding planning.’ She flopped backwards onto her bed. ‘Why does it always have to be arranged marriages?’

She felt the bed move and then Pansy was jostling her into a sitting position. Neither of them had spoken about it since the announcement, they hadn’t had a moment alone, but she could see her own frustrations in Pansy’s eyes, sharper and harder. Padma wanted nothing more than to order everyone out of her bedroom, to lay down on the bed and curl around Pansy and pretend it was all an oddly specific bad dream. Pansy squeezed her hand, then crawled behind her and started undoing her plaits. She relaxed a little with Pansy’s fingers running through her hair.

‘You know why it has to be arranged marriages,’ Pansy said. ‘This way they can ensure money and land stays within the family for generations, the alliances will stay strong for generations, and all they have to do is send their first born daughters away. For some of them, it’s a win-win.’

Ginny snorted. ‘I doubt whichever family gets landed with me is going to feel that way. Like hell am I going to be married off quietly.’

‘It won’t be so awful,’ Astoria said.

Her sister glared at her. ‘Not for you, maybe. But you’re not a first born, are you?’

‘Do you know how they’re going to decide which of you gets married?’ Susan asked Parvati.

‘Padma’s twelve minutes older, and probably regretting that for the first time in her life. Besides, I’ve already taken my oath and sworn fealty to our lands. A knight of the realm can’t be used in a political marriage. I’m not sure how our parents are going to make that work actually.’ She looked over at Padma, brow furrowed. ‘Do you know how they’re going to ensure a Patil sits on the throne here?’

‘No doubt they’ll marry me off to a son who isn’t an heir. One of Ginny’s brothers, most likely. There’s no shortage of Weasley heirs.’

‘Ron or one of the twins will end up moving in here,’ Ginny agreed. Pansy’s fingers went tight in Padma’s hair and she winced. If she did end up married to one of the Weasley boys it wouldn’t be the worst outcome. But it was still being married off for politics and not for love. Her parents had promised her and her sister that they would never take that choice away from them.

‘I wish we could just be in charge now,’ Astoria sighed.

‘Say that again?’ Pansy’s voice was strangled.

‘What?’

‘You said, I wish we could be in charge now?’ Padma was beginning to recognise that tone. It was her lightbulb moment voice.

‘Yes. Then we could write up our own treaty,’ Astoria said slowly. ‘Include all those things you mentioned before, and some others too. I’m sure we could come up with more if we put our minds to it.’

‘We could,’ Hannah said. ‘But how does that -?’

‘Not could,’ said Pansy. ‘Can.’ Then she was the one on her feet, pacing the length of Padma’s bedroom, not deviating from her path, but stepping over legs and bodies when she came to them.

Padma looked around the room, and saw as the other princesses started to catch on. There was a scramble for parchment and ideas piling up, one on top of the other. Daphne was holding Astoria’s hand so tight both their knuckles were white. Ginny was pacing too, going the opposite direction to Pansy, the two of them meeting in the middle of the room on each pass, pausing to confer. Hannah managed to scrounge up some fresh parchment, not the scraps that Padma usually had floating around her room, and Susan produced a quill from somewhere on her person before calling the room to order. It took her a few tries to get everyone’s attention, and then a few more before Pansy and Ginny stood still.

Susan cleared her throat. When she dropped her shoulders and looked around the room, meeting everyone’s eyes Padma could see the resemblance to her aunt. ‘Right. Are we all in agreement? That while our parents and grandparents and various other guardians sit downstairs and argue over how much our hands in marriage are worth, we will write up our own treaty to present as a countermeasure?’ Everyone nodded. ‘Then let’s get to work, ladies.’

Pansy came over and sat next to Padma while most of the others were distracted by Susan’s brainstorming session. Parvati caught her eye, because her sister never missed anything, but she just grinned and rolled her eyes.

Padma didn’t turn to face Pansy, but she did reach out and take her hand.

‘Do you think this will work?’ Pansy whispered.

‘Yes.’

‘Really?’ Pansy did not sound nearly as self assured as she had earlier, or indeed as she usually did. ‘You think they’ll take us seriously? I won’t have to marry Draco, or gods forbid, Marcus Flint, and you won’t have to marry a Weasley?’

With Pansy’s thumb stroking the back of her hand, and the room alive with the political plans of several teenage girls, Padma thought they might be in with a chance. ‘I think we’ll live happily ever after.’


End file.
